The sun shone through the clouds and peeked between the trees as we stepped out of the shack and into the whipping, freezing air. I glanced over my shoulder at Ethan as I walked toward the lake. "Follow me. I'll show you I'm not crazy."

Reluctantly, Ethan and Owen followed.

Ethan's words were barely audible over Owen's constant outspoken denial. I ignored both as I stood on the edge of the lake where the dark haired girl had collapsed. My eyes scanned the freshly fallen snow for any evidence. I half expected to see the spent, bright red blood to somehow seep through the dense patches of snow and contrast the endless white.

After finding nothing on the ground, I turned to face the frozen lake which seemed to be undisturbed. "Over there." My eyes searched for a hole, a crack, or something to prove what I had witnessed, but again there was no such evidence. "That's ..." I shook my head, confused. "That's where he put her."

With one foot over the other, Ethan slowly and carefully stepped onto the ice. He stopped where I instructed and kicked away some of the snow that blanketed the once liquid lake.

Perplexed, I shook my head. "There should be a hole or broken ice—" I wanted to throw angry eyes at Owen, but a building sense of defeat and humiliation prevented it.

Owen walked onto the ice and stood beside Ethan. "There's no hole, Allison." The questioning look he gave me made me drop my gaze.

Had I imagined the entire thing? Was Owen innocent and telling the truth the whole time? If so, what does that say about me and my mental state?

"I know what I saw. I mean, I could've sworn—"

"There's nothing here," Ethan confirmed. He and Owen stared, their gaze slowly burning a hole through me. They stood motionless and gawked as if I were a weird creature on exhibit.

I shuddered, finally allowing the cold, my fear, and their scrutiny to sink in. "But—" I walked onto the lake, and using the side of my shoe like a rake I cleared some of the snow that had collected on top. Nothing but pure ice was beneath. "I don't understand."

Ethan scratched his temple. "Maybe you became confused while telling your stories."

"Maybe you're just a lunatic." Owen tucked his hands into his pant pockets and shrugged.

I pivoted to face him. "Don't talk to me that way!" This time, I let anger show on my face as I glared.

He turned to confront me head-on. "Maybe you're going crazy from hiding out in seclusion all these years." He inched closer, looking down at me as he approached. "Maybe you have a skewed sense of reality. Maybe you should get some professional help."

"Stay back!" My roar echoed off the distant trees that lined the other side of the lake, causing Ethan to grab Owen's shoulder and spin him around.

"Keep away from her," Ethan warned. A gust of wind briefly blew his hair over his face, but when the strands fell away, his fury was evident.

"Or what?" They stood face-to-face as Owen challenged him. Their piercing eyes locked on to one another's like the horns of two raging bulls. "What exactly are you gonna do, Ethan?" Owen thrust his finger into Ethan's chest so hard Ethan nearly lost his balance and stumbled back. And with that, Ethan swung his fist only to miss Owen's face by millimeters. But it didn't stop them from rushing forward and wrestling each other to the ground.

I gasped. "Ethan!"

"Stay away from her." Ethan allowed his body to weigh Owen down as he shoved Owen back into the snow by his shoulders.

"I didn't hurt anybody." Owen growled while hoisting himself over Ethan and pinning him face down to the ground.

Ethan rammed his elbow back and connected it with Owen's ribs before shoving him over onto the crushed snow beside him. Disheveled and out of breath, Ethan panted and stood, bringing his fingers to his bleeding lip.

Owen grunted and pushed himself up to kneel as blood trickled from the corner of his right eye. He struggled to stand and gain his balance, but once on his feet, the swollen lump in the front of his pants stole our attention.

We stared in confusion before Owen pulled the front of his sweater down to conceal the bulge. With his head hung low and without a word, he walked back toward the shack, leaving drops of blood and footprints in the snow.

***

Once back in the warmth of the shack's four walls, Owen sat in the chair by the window and looked out at the scenery. "I don't know what you saw, Allison, but there was never a girl with me and I never hurt anyone."

The sorrow and sympathy in Ethan's eyes spoke volumes as he sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the wound near Owen's temple. He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, Owen. I should have never put my hands on you."

I scoffed and glared at Ethan. I've always admired his soft, caring heart, but I wasn't prepared to see it emerge this soon after a heated fight that had turned completely awkward by the end. I didn't know much about the male body or how it worked, but I was much more curious now.

Why did Owen's body react the way it had during the fight?

I'd probably never find the answer, but one things for sure, Owen should apologize to us.

Ethan must've sensed my annoyance, because he sneered at me before continuing, "Just look what we've done. We took over his place, we accuse him of something horrid, and then I go and make him bleed."

"He made you bleed too." I stared at Ethan's swollen lip to make my point.

"And I'm sorry about that." Owen turned in his seat to see the damage. "I didn't want to hurt you, Ethan. I don't hurt people. That's not what I do." He caught my eye before turning toward the window again.

"What do you do then?" I asked. "I mean, why leave what you have back in Virginia to come here?"

"The truth?" Owen retrieved the blue bandana and pressed it to the cut near his eye. "This is the only place I can go to feel good about myself. My mom constantly went on about how much of a loser I was and how I would never amount to anything. She had a habit of comparing me to my father a lot." His eyes glistened as a pool of tears hovered on the rim. He gulped and suddenly I could sense the growing pain he tried to swallow.

My heart swelled and I gulped too. "Is that why you hate her?"

"I loved my mother, I really did." He stared through the window at his memories. "But she put my father down a lot and it really took a toll on me, because I didn't see a loser in him. I saw a hero. He was strong, confident, smart, and although I like to think I helped, he built this place all by himself. He was a great carpenter, even though he didn't make lots of money in politics like she did, I still idolized him. The way I feel about him is the way he made me feel about myself."

Ethan picked at the threads of his jeans. "So, this was your go-to place to feel good about yourself and connected to your father?"

Owen didn't answer. He didn't have to. A single tear trickled down his cheek before he dropped his head into his hands.

Ethan looked to me. His sadness fueled my own.

"I was wrong," I admitted. "I let my imagination take over and I turned peace into chaos because of it."

I gently pried the bandana from Owen's fingers, and when he lifted his head and looked up at me, I replaced it near his temple. As I gently held the cloth to the side of his face, his puffy, red eyes locked onto mine and stung my heart.

Again, thanks for all the support! Continue on to the next chapter.

~ Leslie Lee